Phoenix in December

I (and SWMBO)will be in the Phoenix, AZ area for a 3 day conference 1st week of December, plan to fly in early so we will have an extra 3-4 days to look around. Have already done Sedona and the Grand Canyon so what else is a must see ? Not real fond of big cities, prefer rural areas. UTV, horseback tour recommendations ? Nice areas to stay under $200 a night ?

We stayed up in the Cottonwood and Prescott areas in Dec 2014/Jan 2015. Don't know about "must see," but both were nice relatively small towns as bases for exploration. It snowed a fair bit over New Year's Eve that year, so it was a little tricky to move around, especially up into the mountains. Both had nice old hotels well under your limit (the Iron Horse in Cottonwood and Hotel Vendome in Prescott).

Thanks, Cottonwood looks like an interesting area.

Annie and I were at Marriott's Camelback resort in early December, 2012. It was really nice. We appreciated the weather there that time of year. So if you're from a northern climate consider yourself lucky to be in Phoenix, AZ, at that time of year.

In reply to Gary: Yes, we are from the buckeye state so it will be a nice break from typical December weather here. Conference is at Wild Horse Pass Resort and Casino so SWMBO will be able to get her fill of playing slots while I sit in meetings.

December is the best time of year for desert exploration. Tucson has an aircraft museum and Sugaro has a desert nature center/zoo thing. We love just being outside down in Phoenix during the winter...because aside from Florida, south Texas and San Diego, everywhere else requires at least a jacket.